Names can be rejected for being official titles or including non-phonetic symbols

If you're planning on giving your newborn a unique name, be sure to steer clear of punctuation, numbers, or royal titles.

More than 2000 different names were registered of babies born in Canberra during the past financial year. While most were without a hitch, one name was rejected.

The name, which Access Canberra declined to state for privacy reasons, is only the third baby name to be rejected in the ACT. It was rejected because it contained symbols without phonetic significance in the English language, which could have included #, @, or punctuation.

Under ACT legislation, the word Prince is banned as a baby name as it resembles an official title or rank.

Only one baby name in NSW was rejected in 2017-18, after parents tried to register their child's surname as 'The Greatest'.

Other names rejected in NSW have included Doctor, 7, Lord and Sir.

The NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages registry has also rejected baby names that were swear words.

The ACT government spokeswoman said there are several factors that determine if a baby name is prohibited, including if it's "undesirable".

"A prohibited name means a name that is obscene or offensive, could not practically be established by repute; includes or resembles an official title or rank; misleading because of similarity with the name of a body or organisation; or is in the registrar-general's opinion, undesirable," the spokesman said.

If a baby name is rejected, the family are contacted to discuss why the name was banned and potential alternatives. The decision to prohibit a name can be reviewed by ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

There is no formal list of banned names. The Victorian government in 2017 put forward a small list of names that would be knocked back, following a spike in unusual names. Among those were Admiral, Anzac, Captain, God, Judge, Minister, Premier, President and Queen.